paper apprentice

1.17.2011

Most of my papermaking and bookbinding for the Master Craft Artist and Apprentice Program is archived there (in addition to new quilts I have been working on). Except for maybe one piece that is less than two years old, the entire site is work from within about a year and a half.

8.17.2010

8.16.2010

We stopped by Susan Hulme's home studio in Nashville to see some of her new work and samples from the 2010 Paper and Book Intensive: http://www.paperbookintensive.org/pbi2010.html

Although she works a lot with computers in graphic design (and her design work is really great!), she stressed the importance of the physical tactile experience she has when holding a handmade book, working with paper, or printing. The 2010 Paper and Book Intensive was held in Machias, Maine and she created these pieces in Frank Brannon's "Paper Sculpture" class (she also attended Tatiana Ginsberg's "Japanese Natural Colorants for Paper"):

As one of our last studio visits before the conclusion of the grant (with the TN Master Craft Artist/ Apprentice Program), Claudia insisted that we visit the multi-multi-media artist Sandy Webster, and while she lives in Brasstown NC, she still often teaches in TN (and well.. she's just that awesome, so we have to include her). Her work is mesmerizing, combining the things I love about some of my favorite well-known artists like Joseph Cornell and Lee Bontecou. I identify with her affinity to collect things and her work has a history and sense of time. It just feels good to look at- her materials are really worked, aged to perfection.

Sandy makes quilts, weavings, prints, paintings, sculptures, books, boxes, and many many other things. She makes. A lot. She has written, illustrated, and bound a book on her own research creating pigments from soil (Gathering and Processing Pigments from the Earth -available from her website). She is also a creative troubleshooter- she teaches creative thinking through exercises she herself has developed and she is sought after for critiques and valuable input.

Her work and lifestyle are as inspiring as they are intense, and I left Sandy with a renewed energy for my work.

*for a photo of Sandy herself and many more works, check out her website: http://www.sandywebster.com/ linked on the right hand side of this page.

8.05.2010

I am a bit behind on my posts. Until I catch up, I am adding this image of paper I made in Claudia's recent workshop here at the Appalachian Center for Craft (her workshop was titled Beyond the Basic Sheet). This paper was made from all the love letters I have ever received (envelopes were included, cards and such were excluded) 1999-2009. They were all put into a blender to create pulp. It was a great project- emotional.. but wonderful. I think the papers are beautiful, with bits of handwriting familiar to me and the blue and black patterns on the inside of the envelopes.